1996 European Grand Prix
28 April |officialname = XLI Großer Preis von Europa |circuit = Nürburgring |location = Nürburg, Germany |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 4.556 |laps = 67 |distance = 305.252 |pole = Damon Hill |polenation = GBR |poleteam = |poletime = 1:18.941 |fastestlap = 1:21.363 |fastestlapdriver = Damon Hill |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 55 |winner = Jacques Villeneuve |winnernation = CAN |winnerteam = |second = Michael Schumacher |secondnation = GER |secondteam = |third = David Coulthard |thirdnation = GBR |thirdteam = }} The 1996 European Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XLI Großer Preis von Europa, was the fourth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Nürburgring near Nürburg, Germany, on the 28 April 1996.'European GP, 1996', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr585.html, (Accessed 13/08/2019) The race would see Jacques Villeneuve sweep to his first Grand Prix victory in only his fourth race, almost fifteen years after his father Gilles Villeneuve's final win in 1981. The weekend would begin in a similar fashion to the previous rounds in 1996, with Damon Hill sweeping to pole position, three quarters of a second clear of teammate Villeneuve. Michael Schumacher was best of the rest in third for , with Jean Alesi completing the top four for . Raceday dawned cold and misty, although the worst of the mist would burn off before the start despite the skies remaining rather dull. Fortunately the start would be anything but dull, with Hill, Schumacher and Alesi making poor getaways. That allowed Villeneuve to take the lead off the grid, although it was David Coulthard who stole the show, streaking from sixth to second in the . Another man to make an impressive start was Rubens Barrichello, streaking up to third, while Schumacher scrambled ahead of Hill to secure fourth. With Coulthard behind him Villeneuve was able to escape up the road, for the McLaren, while fast on the straight, was not able to match the Williams in the corners. However, it also made the Scot hard to pass, with Barrichello, Schumacher and Hill unable to get past. Indeed, Schumacher was so focused on passing Barrichello's that he almost forgot the presence of Hill, and hence slipped wide after a lunge around the outside of the McLaren and let Hill slip through to fourth. Hill then tried in vain to find a way past the Brazilian, before the #5 Williams began to drop back from the Jordan shortly before the stops. Hill duly made an early stop for a quick check on his car, resulting in both Patrick Head and Adrian Newey sliding under the car in the pitlane for a look. They could not see anything and so Hill was released, albeit having lost twelve seconds to the Coulthard company. Indeed, there would be some other major shuffles, with Schumacher leaping into second after a stunning stop from Ferrari, while Barrichello slipped back towards Mika Häkkinen after a slow stop. Villeneuve, meanwhile, would look imperious out front, although after the stops it was Schumacher who dictated the pace. Schumacher duly caught the back of the Canadian with fifteen laps to go, and steadily wound up the pressure in a bid to claim the lead. As their fight played out Hill would lose more time with a trip through the gravel, having aborted an attempt to pass Pedro Diniz, and hence had to work his way back up the order from tenth. Out front, meanwhile, Villeneuve would resist Schumacher through to the chequered flag, securing a memorable maiden victory on the German's home soil. Coulthard, meanwhile, would have to work hard in the closing stages to keep Hill at bay to complete the podium, with Rubens Barrichello having also joined their fight. Less than a second covered the trio as they crossed the finish line. Background Victory for Damon Hill saw the British racer continue his dominant start to the season, leaving Argentina with a maximum score of 30 points. Jacques Villeneuve remained the closest thing to a challenger to the Brit, albeit already eighteen points behind after three races. Jean Alesi, meanwhile, would end the weekend in third ahead of Eddie Irvine, with Mika Häkkinen completing the top five. In the Constructors Championship it was who had once again proved to be the class of the field, leaving Argentina with 42 points to their name. were now their closest challengers, 29 points behind, with three points further back in third. were next ahead of , with eight constructors on the board after three rounds. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Salo was disqualified from the results of the race after his car was found to be underweight. *† Katayama was disqualified from the results of the race after receiving a push-start. Milestones * Twentieth Grand Prix entry for Pedro Lamy.'1996 European GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1996&gp=European%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 13/08/2019) * Maiden victory for Jacques Villeneuve.'4. Europe 1996', statsf1.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/europe.aspx, (Accessed 13/08/2019) * registered their 87th victory as a constructor. ** scored their 78th win as an engine supplier. * Michael Schumacher claimed his 40th podium finish. * Tenth podium finish for David Coulthard. ** This was also the twentieth podium for a engine. Standings Damon Hill left the Nürburgring with his Championship lead largely intact, although Jacques Villeneuve had cut the gap down to eleven points. Indeed, it seemed as if the Canadian racer would be the only real challenger to the Brit with a quarter of the season down, with third placed Jean Alesi now 23 points back. The Frenchman was not alone in third, however, with Michael Schumacher level with Alesi on ten points, and with an identical race record. In the Constructors Championship, meanwhile, it looked to be 's Championship to lose, leaving the European Grand Prix with 55 points to their name. That translated into a crushing 39 point lead over in second, meaning the Anglo-French squad could afford to miss two rounds and still hold a fair lead. Ferrari themselves, meanwhile, had moved ahead of , while and retained their places in the top five. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1996 Grands Prix Category:European Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Germany